Asus eee Slate (ep121) review
Ok, before I say anything in this review, let's get down to brass tacks; why this Slate? Why not an iPad? Why not a laptop?
I'm not going to disparage either of those other two choices- what they do, they do very well. Certainly the iPad's clean UI and lightweight form factor make it ideal for touch input on the go. It's also a fantastic entertainment device; watching movies, or reading e-books works very well on the iPad. Likewise a high-end laptop can combine powerful graphics and large storage space with a fast processor for a computing experience that can rival a desktop machine.
What the Slate brings to the table is flexibility. It may not do some specific tasks as well as an iPad or laptop, but it does more things than either one individually. To me, it feels like something between the two.
I think it's important to consider the intended use of your device. For a lot of folks an iPad or other pad-type tablet is the clear choice. For others, a laptop, notebook or Netbook makes more sense. There are other choices too. My wife loves reading books and playing Facebook games on her color Nook, but goes back to her Dell notebook for email or other tasks.
I wanted a device that I could use for working on the go. That meant it needed to be Windows-based, due to the tools and applications I use. I also wanted something that would handle pen input, as that's how I prefer to do my note-taking. Then there are times I just want to quickly look something up, watch a video, read an article, or use the web. That’s when touch really shines and the Slate does this quite well. For more stationary computing, I use the bluetooth keyboard. With it connected, the Slate takes on a much more traditional laptop-like feel.
But all of those facts were reasons why I chose to buy one. The real question now that I've used it a while is: how do I like it?
The short answer is I really like it- but let’s look at some specifics.
Applications and platform:
This is running Win 7 ×64. That's a platform that should be pretty darn familiar by now. In a practical sense, it means I can run full-blown Windows programs, not just toned-down versions or small third party apps.
It comes with Windows Home Premium preinstalled (along with a recovery CD, which is really kind of silly to include for a device that doesn't have an optical drive.) However, since I wanted to be able to join the Domain at work, I replaced it with Win 7 Enterprise. Not much to say there, other than it runs fine and gets me on the corporate network without difficulty most of the time. I say "most of the time" because in my particular building at work, wireless access isn't very good. I suspect the wireless controllers on the jillions of Xboxes all around the building is the contributing factor of interference there.
I'm running Office 2010, and the Ribbon lends itself to touch & stylus input quite well. I spent my morning commute the other day updating & editing a test spec in Word. Things got a little difficult with pen selection when the bus hit rough road, but text input was fine.
Where Office really shines on the Slate however is OneNote. When I'm taking notes, brainstorming, jotting down ideas, etc., I've always preferred to do it with pen & paper. Somehow it just seems more comfortable than via keyboard. Unfortunately this usually leads to several notebooks and legal pads full of scrawled, disorganized chicken scratches piled all over my desk.
With OneNote, I still do my messy scrawling, but then it gets turned into typed text, and I can keep it organized. It's a fantastic way to take notes in a meeting, jot down reminders, or simply organize my thoughts on a particular project. I also use Live Mesh to keep my notebooks in sync between the Slate & my PC. I'm told Evernote is also a good tool in this regard, but I haven't tried it.
Since everything is running on Win 7, my notes, emails, docs, etc. are all indexed & searchable. It also means I can install software that would not be available on other tablets, such as our internal bug-tracking software, or other proprietary tools. This is the same level of compatibility you'd get from a Windows laptop, only with the option of using it in a tablet form factor.
The included Bluetooth keyboard is useful. I have gotten into the habit of setting it up next to my regular machine at work, and use it much like I would use any other PC. I imagine you could use the HDMI port to set up a dual-monitor situation with it. (external + slate screen)
Tweaks:
It's been said that Windows is not a touch-friendly OS, and to a certain degree that's fair. However there are a few simple tweaks that go a long way in the realm of improving the experience.
1. Turn on single-click selection & navigation. This removes the need to double-click in Explorer, so a single tap of the finger does the job.
2. Increase icon size. Makes for easy touch targets.
3. Increase the size of certain window elements. Specifically, I used Window Metrics to slightly increase the size of scrollbars and the Maximize/minimize/close cluster.
4. Pin commonly used items to either the top of the Start menu or the Taskbar. This gives you quick access to them, and has the side benefit of giving them larger icons than they'd have buried further down in the Start menu.
With these changes, navigating and using Windows with touch gets a lot friendlier. It's still not going to be perfect-let's face it, Windows was designed around mouse & keyboard originally, and an OS designed specifically for touch is going to have certain advantages. That said, I've found the precise level of pointing with the pen able to overcome most of these issues, and I often find myself keeping the pen in hand while I navigate via fingertip taps.
For light tasks such as reading email, docs, or using the web however, this isn't needed, and the pen is left in its holder while I do the kinds of things. I installed Omnimo for Rainmeter to give a neat touch-friendly UI. I'm still in the process of tweaking it, but it looks pretty nifty so far.
Omnimo for Rainmeter- Portrait
Omnimo for Rainmeter- landscape
Media & entertainment:
While use as an entertainment platform is not the Slate's strongest point it does serve adequately. The viewing angle of the screen is astounding, which works well for watching videos or playing games. (if you have any good recommendations for Windows-based boardgames, let me know.)
Many of the magazines I read have free digital versions, and reading them in portrait mode on the 12" screen is a pleasure. Also, while I've not tried it yet, the Slate has HDMI out, so that opens up options for viewing media on a larger screen.
This is really an area where the Slate's flexibility as a Windows device comes into play. Use whatever video or music player you like-so long as there is a Windows version, it'll be an option for you on the Slate.
If you're going somewhere without wi-fi, just copy your media locally. (I put old episodes of Doctor Who on an SD card and watch them on the bus.)
Gaming:
Gaming: You aren't going to play Crysis2 on this, and I won't be playing Skyrim on it when it comes out either.
On the other hand, it's a fantastic tool for looking up boardgame rules, or keeping player references handy at the gaming table.
If you like playing games that don't require a powerful video card, then this will probably do just fine. I imagine most retro games will run well. As I've only had it a short time, I haven't done much gaming on it yet, other than playing Ranger Knizia's Samurai on the bus this evening.
(Oh, and yes, you can get Angry Birds for it.
http://www.appup.com/applications/applications-Angry+Birds)
However, as I've already noted, that's not the major strength of this device. If you want an ultra-portable platform to play games, get an iPad, , 3DS, or a Pandora. If you want a powerful gaming notebook, get an Alienware.
Overall:
To sum up, I'll say it again; this is not an iPad. But it's not trying to be one either. It serves a totally different purpose. While some of the things you can do on the Slate are also things you might do on the iPad, the Slate is really geared more around work and productivity tasks. It's much more like a notebook computer than an iPad though not as limited as a Netbook.
It benefits strongly from some tweaking and customizing out of the box, but that's true of any PC.
I'm quite happy with it in general, and am enjoying the process of discovering just what kinds of things I will do with it.
+ and -:
Bad things:
Weight:
while it would be unrealistic to expect iPad-level lightness out of a PC boasting the kinds of specs this thing has, it does get a bit heavy when holding it and writing for an extended period.
Screen rotation:
There's about a 1-second delay when you rotate the tablet as the screen blacks out to change resolutions. Not a big deal, but it does get a bit annoying sometimes. A hardware switch is provided that locks the screen in one orientation. It helps a bit, mostly because it forces screen orientation changes into intentional acts, rather than the effect of accidentally tilting the unit too far.
Neutral things:
Battery life.
Sure, it'd be nice to get more time on a single charge, but not if it meant increasing the weight or thickness considerably. As it is, with my normal daily usage, I am seeing about 4 hours of run time. I imagine if I were doing something CPU intensive that would drop, but for now at least it seems pretty consistent.
Good things:
Windows 7 ×64:
being able to run everything I've thrown at it so far, connecting directly to the domain at work, running Outlook/Word/ One Note/PowerPoint 2010; all valuable things.
Pen input:
The handwriting recognition is pretty good out of the box, but seems to be improving rapidly as it "learns" my writing. I really enjoy writing this way, but it's always been a struggle for me, since my handwriting is so poor. This has made it very enjoyable for me to take notes and do other writing.
Ports:
dual USB ports, SD card port, HDMI out. Handy.
Screen:
the 12" screen is very bright and clear, and very easy on the eyes for reading. Viewing angles are better than on any laptop screen I've ever used.
Specs: (From Asus' site)
- Operating System: Windows® 7 Home Premium
- Display12.1" LED backlight WXGA (1280x800) Screen Capacitive and Electromagnetic Panel with AFFS
- CPU Intel Dual-Core i5 470um
- Memory DDR3, 1 x SO-DIMM, 4GB
- Storage 64GB SSD
- Wireless Data Network WLAN 802.11 b/g/n@2.4GHz, Bluetooth V3.0
- Camera 2.0 M Pixel Camera
- Audio Hi-Definition Audio CODEC , Stereo Speakers, Digital Array Mic
- Interface
- 1 x Digitizer pen
- 2 x USB 2.0 port
- 1 x 2-in-1 Audio Jack (Head Phone /Mic-in)
- 1 x mini HDMI port
- 1 x Card Reader: MMC/ SD(SDHC/SDXC)
- 1 x DC-IN
- Battery
- Battery Life: 4.5hrs,
- Play 1080p video: 2.4hrs
- 34W/hr Polymer Battery
- Power
- Adapter Output: 19.5V 60W with USB charging port
- Input: 100-240V AC, 50/60Hz universal
- Dimensions312 x 207.2 x 16.95 mm (WxDxH)
- Weight1.16 kg